Hi Yasmin & Suse, I hope you are completely recovered, it is good to see you back again.
I just opened a bank account a couple of weeks ago at Yapıkredi. It's quite easy, just a matter of filling out some forms and depositing the money. You can also open dollar and British Pound accounts. No big requirements really, just a valid ID and the money to deposit.
The default account I had was a non-interest bearing account. I am using that to automatically pay bills (just take your utility, satellite TV bills, etc and they will set it up). I also deposited Turkish Lira into a one-year interest-bearing account and a monthly interest-bearing account which will automatically re-invest the interest.
Yapıkredi got me set up on their internet site for internet banking and also helped me with downloading their mobile application and getting that set up.
No problems whatsoever.

I didn't get to Izmir until 1997, but heard stories of Izmir's "glory days" including when they had this big hotel on the First Kordon, the Kordon Hotel I think it was called. Also heard quite a few stories about the 1980 coup and the curfew. A lot of the Turks who were there when I first got there were also there during those days. We even had a clock from the Kordon Hotel in our office. It has since been turned over to the Turkish military I believe, who are running it as a regular hotel now.

Excellent news! Looks like you are "out of the woods" then. Thanks for the update, I was wondering how it would go.
What documents are you referring to? and by "native speaker," what language are you referring to? English or Turkish?

I can't answer that... since I cannot know when the DGMM will send your residence permit. You could give a friend power of attorney to pick it up at the PTT if it becomes necessary. You can get a power of attorney specifically for what you want another person to do for you at any local notary (noter). I don't know of anyone who has done this, but I think that would be the only other option.

Have a look at this article:
Turkey Visa 90 in 180 Days Rule
The visa validity period is 180 days. You could buy as many visas as you want, back to back, indefinitely. And you could come and go as much as you like during those 180-day validity periods. But your total time in Turkey, at any time, for the previous 180 days, must not exceed 90 days.
The 180-day validity period, and the 180-day period in which you can stay in Turkey for a maximum of 90 days, even though they are the same number of days, are two different things.
The first 180-day period, that is, the visa validity period, is fixed by calendar dates. It will always start with on the day you bought the visa and always end on the day the visa expires.
The second 180-day period is a rolling range of days which must be counted backwards from whatever day "today" is. It will always start on whatever day it was 180 days ago, and will always end "today."
As long as you have a valid visa, and your time in Turkey in the past 180 day period has not exceeded 90 days, you can remain in Turkey.
See the article also for a link to a visa calculator in case you need it (at the bottom of the article). It is the simplest way of calculating total time in Turkey, validity dates, etc.

You can leave Turkey for a period of up to 14 days and return, using your temporary residence permit. I have heard that you need to have receipts showing that you paid the fees, but I don't know if this is true or not since they now give you an actual temporary residence permit. Anyway take the receipts for the fees with you just in case.
Yes, they give you a temporary residence permit, at the end of your appointment. You can use that until your actual residence permit card is delivered.
Check some of the latest topics... it used to take a very long time in Istanbul, but I see from one of the posts that it is being processed faster now. But the latest time frame I don't know.
No. They keep the notarized copy of your passport.
I would think so. That isn't much time. If the PTT (postal service) is unable to deliver it, they keep it at the local PTT for, I think a couple of weeks.
After it is successfully processed in Ankara, and they put it into the postal system, the PTT will send an SMS message to your mobile phone with the barcode for the package. So at that point, you will know it is on the way. If you can't get that SMS message in the country where you are going, you could leave your mobile phone with a friend and have them check your SMS messages for the message from PTT, and let you know it's in the mail.

Ok, I believe what you are trying to get is a work permit, since it is in the free zone the ministry of finance is involved in that. So you would have to come with a work visa (not a tourist e-visa), which your company arranges, while you provide information at your local Turkish embassy or consulate. The embassy or consulate then creates a barcode which is then supplied to your employer, then they apply for your actual work permit.
Once your work visa is ready, you pick it up from the embassy or consulate. Then you travel to Turkey with the work visa. After you arrive, you'll get your actual work permit. Your work permit also serves as your residence permit. From then on you would renew your work permit each year.

What I mentioned are mandatory deductions/tax payments in connection with employment. Just as they are for social security in the USA. After you get paid, then you have to pay income tax on what you earn. The income tax is stepped. For example, up to 13,000 TL is taxed at 15%. Up to 30,000 TL is taxed at 20%. Up to 110,000 at 27%. From 110,000 and above it's taxed at 35%.
If you are working for a US government contractor like Vectrus, they really lowball you on an offered salary, because you are tax exempt from US taxes and they know it... They also offer you a low salary and insist that it is as high as they can go... don't believe it... negotiate for more.
I'll send you a PM regarding local contacts.